halide or L.E.Ds

So now that I am going to upgrade to a bigger tank say 55 or bigger I've heard I'm gonna want halides but I've also been told the leds are better what way should I be looking to? I bought leds for my little 30 gallon and was wanting to just buy another set to have enough for a bigger tank is that ok?

So far, I'm lovin' my LED's. I'd say go for LED's!

ksmart wrote: I've used halides before and loved them. I now run LED's on my tanks and love them more. I think they have proven themselves worthy. They dont use up a lot of electricity like halides and they dont put off nearly as much heat as halides. I say go led's.

I agree with everything said in this post.

I don't however believe that LED are the be all and end all.  MH are good, T-5's are good, LED's are good. 


As far as spectrum goes a lot of that is personal preference.  I personally like the 14K look, but 10K is good too and I loved 20K when I first started in the hobby.  I would say if you go LED get some that can be mixed to what looks best to your eye.  I use AI Sol Blue fixtures and have them set about 15% more blue than white.  If you were to go with something like the AI Vega's they are even more variable and you can really play with the color.

Corals have evolved to be more responsive to blue light for their photosynthesis. But they do require smaller amounts of red light. Also, those peaks are at about 475 and 640 nanometers where the 475 is red but not used by corals as much. Outside of a tail off on each end surrounding the peaks, the light is really only useful for the color of the skin on the corals. Also, deep water corals are even less responsive to red than those corals found in shallow waters.

Not to cause any contention - but best tanks I've seen run MH or T5....don't get me wrong, there are some great LED only tanks, but something still isn't right for me with them.  Other reefers also have experienced the same as many have gone back to their MH or T5 lighting standards.  On the contrary you should be able to find a good deal on a used led system on reefcentral. 

Again, my opinion, but if you want leds involved, I'd likely use them for actinic supplementation only, in a t5/led combo system.

In regards to your question - If your looking at a sole lighting source only, I'd do the MH - preferable 250w or 400w SE Radium bulb.  I have not been able to see a tank look better.









Edited by bur01014 - May 02 2013 at 10:26pm

Fat- yes, likely for most reefers, perhaps LEDs are suitable in order to save in bulb changes, electricity, and heat suffering.  However, if I am truly wanting to save money, I'm in the wrong hobby

I'm slightly obsessive, preferring to look at a colorful stick rather than an amazing fish - so I choose to change the bulbs and suck in the heat in order to make my corals look their best. 
 
This is likely when I will switch to leds:

1.  When I see reefers keep the same led setup on their tank for more than three years, the technology is still moving too fast for me and it is concerning to see fellow reefers purchasing new led setups every other year.  It is even more concerning the manufacturers are releasing new systems, yearly. 

2.  When we know with surety that PAR levels of the Leds do not drop after 5 years of use.  This may defeat the bulb change victory, but again, hard to say as many reefers go through led systems every 2-3 years. 

3.  When fellow reefers stop selling their led setups and going back to MH/T5.

4.  When I am bored and have achieved all I want with my current tank.

5.  When I am able to see an Oregon tort remain deep blue under an LED setup for over 6 months.

6.  After the Radion generation 10 is released.

7.  When they perform better than a radium bulb

Some of this is fact, but most is opinion, but thought I'd share.

In all seriousness, leds will be fine.  I'm far too biased and picky.